Device for heating fluids

ABSTRACT

A device for heating fluids by employing a rotor-housing mechanism. The device comprises a rotor assembly comprising a cylindrical rotor attached to a shaft with an annular space defined therebetween, a multiplicity of oblique bores disposed on the surface the rotor, a closely conforming cylindrical housing enclosing the rotor air tightly. The housing is defined by a cylindrical wall with first and second end-sealing plates sealing the opposite ends of the wall. The device further comprises an inlet and an outlet for the ingress and egress of a fluid from in and out of the housing respectively. A motive means, such as an electric motor, is connected to the shaft. A fluid received within the housing is primarily subjected to fluid hammer effect and for increasing the temperature thereof substantially.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application No.61/347,822 filed May 25, 2010.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to devices for heating fluids and moreparticularly to those that employ rotor-stator mechanism orrotor-housing mechanism to make said ends meet.

Many cases are known in the art to have set a precedent in this regard.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,090 to Griggs discloses an apparatus ordevice for heating fluids. The device comprises a cylindrical rotorriding a shaft driven by an external power means. The rotor isessentially a solid cylinder featuring a plurality of bores on thesurface thereof. The rotor is received within a device housing, theinterior surface of which conforms closely to the outer surface of therotor. A fluid received within the housing is subjected to relativemotion between the rotor and the housing, as a result of which, thetemperature of the fluid is substantially elevated. The bores increasethe effectiveness and the efficiency of the device greatly. However, thesolid cylindrical rotor, as compared against a hollow one, is slower andconsumes a lot of energy. Also, the solid cylindrical rotor, as a resultof its sides being closed, fails to produce suction force in order todraw fluid into the housing.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,797 to Perkins discloses a heating device comprisinga cylindrical housing within which a concentric rotor body is rotablyjournalled. The rotor body is essentially a hollow cylinder with bothends closed. An annular space is defined between the rotor body andhousing. A drive means is disclosed for effecting relative rotationbetween the housing and the rotor. The rotation of the rotor body causesa liquid circulating in the annular space to heat up substantially.Similar to the Griggs' invention, the rotor here too fails to producesuction force for drawing fluid into the annular space.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,737 to Newman discloses a friction heater comprisinga stator into which a rotor extends such that the inner wall of thestator engages the outer wall of the rotor. The heat generated by therotation of the rotor relative the stator is transferred to a wall of atank which contains a quantity of fluid to be heated as the outersurface of the stator is in contact a surface of the tank. A majordrawback in the Newman's invention is the constant contact between therotor and stator which results in excessive wear. Also, there exists alot of structural distinction between the Newman's invention and thepresent one.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for heatingfluids in a thermodynamically efficient manner using cavitations.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide such adevice which is light and simple in construction.

It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide sucha device which is capable of generating suction force.

It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide sucha device which heats fluids by subjecting them to fluid hammer effect.

It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide sucha device which can also be used for mixing thick and viscous fluids.

It is a still further objective of the present invention to provide sucha device which can also be used for generating nano-particles.

It is also an objective of the present invention to provide such adevice which can also be used as a reactor for accelerating reactionspeed, and more specifically in the context of bio-diesel fuelproduction.

Yet another objective of the present invention to provide such a devicewhich can also be used for destroying microorganism shells.

These and other objects and advantages of the embodiments herein willbecome readily apparent from the following detailed description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a partially cutaway perspective view of a preferredembodiment of the device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment ofthe device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the rotor of the preferredembodiment according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an end-sealing plate of thepreferred embodiment according to the present invention.

Appendix shows various chemical reactions that can be performed in thereactor for the production of bio-diesel fuel.

Table. 1 depicts the chemical structures of the fatty acids that areused in bio-diesel fuel production.

Table. 2 shows fatty oil percentages of natural oils that are used inbio-diesel fuel production.

FIGURES—REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   10 Device-   12 Rotor-   14 Shaft-   16 Solar pedal-   18 Oblique bore-   20 Stand-   22 Housing-   24 First end-sealing plate-   26 Second end-sealing plate-   28 Circular platform-   30 Hole-   32 Halter bolt and nut-   34 First axial bore-   36 Bearing-   38 Oil seal-   40 Inlet port-   42 Outlet port

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, a reference is made to theaccompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which the specificembodiments that may be practiced is shown by way of illustration. Theseembodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilledin the art to practice the embodiments and it is to be understood thatthe logical, mechanical and other changes may be made without departingfrom the scope of the embodiments. The following detailed description istherefore not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of an device forheating fluids is illustrated and generally indicated as 10 in FIGS. 1through 4. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of thedevice 10 comprises a rotor assembly comprising a cylindrical rotor 12attached to a shaft 14. More particularly, the rotor 12 is rigidlysecured to the shaft 14 by solar pedals 16. The shaft may be formed offorged steel, cast or ductile iron, or other materials as desired. Oneend of the shaft is connected to a motive means such as an electricmotor.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the rotor 12 is essentially a hollowcylinder with the opposite ends thereof being open. The diameter of therotor 12 is greater than its length. The rotor 12 may be formed ofaluminum, steel, iron or other metal or alloy as appropriate. Thesurface of the rotor 12 features a multiplicity of thorough obliquebores 18, which are aligned and regularly spaced. The dimensions of theoblique bores 18 may be adjusted to optimize efficiency andeffectiveness of the device 10 for heating various fluids. An annularspace is defined between the shaft 14 and the rotor 12.

Again referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the preferred embodiment of the device10 further comprises a stator or a housing 22 for enclosing the rotor12, where the interior surface of the housing 22 conforms closely to thesurface of the rotor 12. The clearance between the rotor 12 and thehousing 22 may be adjusted depending on the parameters of the fluidinvolved, rotational speed of the rotor 12, and so on. The housing 22 isessentially a closed hollow cylinder comprising a cylindrical wall and apair of circular end-sealing plates, viz., first and second end-sealingplates, 24 and 26, whose diameter is greater than that of thecylindrical wall. The housing 22 rests on a stand 20.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the interior surface of each plate 24 and26 features a stepped concentric circular platform 28, whose diameter isequal to the internal diameter of the cylindrical wall. Each platform 28is snugly received within an open side of the cylindrical wall as eachplate 24 and 26 is secured to cylindrical wall. Further, each platecomprises a plurality of holes 30 located along the circumferencethereof. Alignment of the holes 30 on the first plate 24 with those onthe second 26 is ensured as the plates 24 and 26 are fitted into theopposite open sides of the cylindrical wall. Once aligned, the plates 24and 26 are fastened together by halter bolt and nut mechanism 32 asshown in FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the first and second plates 24 and 26comprise first and second axial bores respectively. The first axial bore34 is located on the platform 28 and extends substantially half thethickness of the plate 24. A bearing 36 is received within the firstaxial bore 34 within which, one end of the shaft 14 is rotablyjournalled. The second axial bore is thorough, and is adapted to receivethe shaft 14 there through. An oil seal 38 is employed at the secondaxial bore so as to prevent any leakages of fluid therefrom. The firstand second plates, 24 and 26, further comprise inlet and outlet ports 40and 42 respectively; the ports 40 and 42 for the ingress and egress of afluid from in and out of the housing 22 respectively. As shown in FIG.2, the ports 40 and 42 are disposed in a diagonally opposing relation.

Fluid, for instance, water is received within the housing 22 andsubsequently within the annular space through the inlet port 40. Whenthe device 10 is powered, the rotor 12, on account of the centrifugalforce that is generated, forces the water in the housing 22 away fromthe shaft 14 and towards the interior surface of the rotor 12 and thehousing 22. The centrifugal force also acts a suction force which drawswater within the housing 22. The water reaching the interior surface ofthe rotor 12 is driven towards the interior surface of the housing 24through the oblique bores 18. The oblique bores 18, as opposed to radialbores, cause the water particles to travel more distance. The waterparticles discharged from oblique bores 18 collide with the interiorsurface of the housing 24 thereby being subjected to fluid or waterhammer effect. The repeated collisions of the water particles dischargedfrom the oblique bores 18 further intensify the water hammer effect,which causes a substantial rise in the temperature and the pressure ofthe water.

In addition to the rise of temperature due to the water hammer effect,the creation of shock waves in the water due to the centrifugal action,the creation of water cavities in the oblique bores 18, and theagitation of the water subjected to the relative motion between therotor 12 and the housing 22 further add to the effect, and as a resultof it, the temperature and the pressure of water exiting the housingthrough the outlet port 42 are even more elevated.

The device 10 can also be used as a reactor for accelerating reactionspeed. For instance, in bio-diesel fuel production, usually a catalystis used to expedite the reaction between alcohol and oil—typicallyherbal oil. The catalyst fast-tracks the reaction by breaking thetypically large oil particles into smaller ones, which is necessary forthe alcohol to react with the oil. However, when oil and alcohol aretreated in the device, the agitation the oil is subjected to causes thesame to break into smaller particles. A catalyst may also be introducedalong with the oil and alcohol into the reactor to further speed up theprocess, but this is generally not required. Also, a lot of time can besaved if the output of one reactor is used as an input for another, witha storage tank disposed between two consecutive reactors. Finally, uponfiltering impurities such as glycerin, a bio-diesel fuel of high puritycan be obtained. Some of the reactions that can be performed in thereactor are shown in the Appendix. The reactions are between alcohol andfatty acids, which are typically contained within herbal oils. Table 1primarily depicts the chemical structures of some of the fatty acids,whereas Table 2 shows some of the natural oils with their fatty oilpercentages.

The device 10, apart from being a heater and a reactor, can also be usedfor fluid miscibility, nano-particle generation, destruction ofmicroorganism shells, and even for liquid pasteurization.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fullyreveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, byapplying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for variousapplications such specific embodiments without departing from thegeneric concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modificationsshould and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and rangeof equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood thatthe phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose ofdescription and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodimentsherein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can bepracticed with modification within the spirit and scope of the appendedclaims.

Although the embodiment herein are described with various specificembodiments, it will be obvious for a person skilled in the art topractice the invention with modifications. However, all suchmodifications are deemed to be within the scope of the claims.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended tocover all of the generic and specific features of the embodimentsdescribed herein and all the statements of the scope of the embodimentswhich as a matter of language might be said to fall there between.

1. A device comprising: (a) a rotor assembly comprising a shaft, acylindrical rotor attached to a shaft, and an annular space definedbetween the shaft and the rotor; (b) a multiplicity of oblique boresdisposed on the surface the rotor; and (c) a housing enclosing the rotorair tightly, the housing comprising at least one inlet port and at leastone outlet port for the ingress and egress of a fluid respectively;wherein, when the device is powered, the centrifugal force generated bythe rotor forces the fluid received within the housing and subsequentlywithin the annular space through the at least one inlet port away fromthe shaft and towards the interior surface of the housing through theoblique bores as a result of which, the fluid particles that repeatedlydischarge out of the oblique bores and collide with the interior surfaceof the housing are subjected to fluid hammer effect, which, in additionto the agitation of the fluid resulting from the fluid being subjectedto the relative motion between the rotor and housing, causes thetemperature of the fluid to rise substantially.
 2. The device of claim1, wherein the housing comprises a circumferential wall with an interiorsurface thereof conforming closely to the surface of the rotor, andfirst and second end-sealing plates for sealing the opposite open sidesof the wall, the first and second plates being parallel to each other.3. The device of claim 2, wherein the wall is substantially cylindrical.4. The device of claim 2, wherein the inner surface of each platecomprises a stepped platform which is to be snugly received within aside of the wall as each plate is secured thereto.
 5. The device ofclaim 4, wherein the platform is circular.
 6. The device of claim 2,wherein the plates, upon secured to the opposite sides of the wall, arefastened to each other by halter bolt and nut mechanism.
 7. The deviceof claim 2, wherein the inner surface of the first sealing platecomprises a first axial bore for receiving a bearing, which, in turn,receives one end of the shaft, the first axial bore extendingsubstantially half the thickness of the plate.
 8. The device of claim 2,wherein the second sealing place comprises a thorough second axial borefor the receiving the shaft.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein thesecond axial bore comprises an oil seal around its circumference forpreventing any leakage thereat.
 10. The device of claim 2, wherein theat least one inlet port and the at least one outlet port are located onthe first and second plates respectively.
 11. The device of claim 1,wherein the rotor is connected to the shaft by solar pedals.
 12. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the rotor is greater than itslength.
 13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is powered by amotive means and comprises a heater, a mixer, a reactor, and anano-particle generator.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the motivemeans comprises an electric motor.
 15. The device of claim 1, whereinthe at least one inlet port and the at least one outlet port compriseone inlet port and one outlet port respectively.
 16. The device of claim1, wherein the oblique bores are aligned and regularly spaced.
 17. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the fluid is water and comprises oil andalcohol.
 18. A device comprising: (a) a rotor assembly comprising acylindrical rotor attached to a shaft with an annular space definedtherebetween; (b) a multiplicity of oblique bores disposed on thesurface the rotor; (c) a cylindrical housing enclosing the rotor airtightly, the housing comprising a cylindrical circumferential wall and afirst and second end-sealing plates for sealing the opposite open sidesof the wall, the interior surface of the housing conforming closely tothe outer surface of the rotor; (d) at least one inlet port for theingress of a fluid into the housing and subsequently into the annularspace; (e) at least one outlet port for the egress of the fluid from thehousing; and (f) a motive means connected to the shaft, the motive meansdisposed outside of the housing.
 19. The device of claim 18, wherein theplates, upon secured to the opposite sides of the wall, are fastened toeach other by halter bolt and nut mechanism.
 20. The device of claim 18,wherein the inner surface of each plate comprises a circular steppedplatform which is to be snugly received within a side of the wall aseach plate is secured thereto, and the inner surface of the firstsealing plate comprises a first axial bore for receiving a bearing,which, in turn, receives one end of the shaft, the first axial boreextending substantially half the thickness of the plate, and wherein thesecond sealing place comprises a thorough second axial bore forreceiving shaft.